


Trapped Thoughts

by RainbowCakeMustache



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Gen, Internal Conflict, Near Death Experiences, Trapped, bad choices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 15:59:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11786550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowCakeMustache/pseuds/RainbowCakeMustache
Summary: Rick's thoughts and internal struggle while he was trapped inside of the clone he made of his 'younger' self.  This is a oneshot, and it has some alternate events.





	Trapped Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Before you read, there's a lot of dialogue, so it looks like the middle/bottom is double spaced. It kinda bothers me, but it's technically correct, so please disregard it! .w.

 "I probably  _ could _  turn myself into a teenager and hang out with the zit-faced, hormonal, and sweaty ass residents of the world you call high school, but why in the fuck would I  _ ever _ waste my time and genius on something so stupid and pointless like that?!  Honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself," Rick lectured, annoyed with his teenage granddaughter.

    However, as Rick thought about the idea, it didn't seem  _ that _ stupid.  The vampire was causing trouble and needed to be dealt with, sure, and it wasn't like he had anything else to do for the next few days.  He stood up and left the table and tuned out his daughter and Jerry's bickering.  Rick decided that he would actually put his old project, Operation Phoenix, to use.

    The next day, Rick hooked himself up to a machine he had crafted, and, with the press of a button, transferred his conscious into the smaller version of himself.  Once he was inside his new body he looked around and noticed the significant difference in his height and the apparent loss of his older self's characteristic lankiness.  Additionally, his battle scars and signs of old age had vanished, just like Rick wanted.  Using his portal gun, Rick traveled to Summer and Morty's school and confidently strolled right up to Morty's locker.  When he walked up, he could hear his grandchildren discussing their ideas on how to find the vampire.

    "What up!  Tiny Rick!!" the teenager shouted excitedly.

    "R-Rick!  How did you-" Morty stuttered, but was interrupted.

    "Well, I got bored and decided to stop being a cranky douche, so I transferred my mind into this younger clone I remembered I had hidden away from a few years back- Tiny Rick!!"

    The older Rick noticed, while he was active and attempting to convey his reasoning, the younger Rick was trying to fight for control over his actions.  Rick adapted to this, however, and continued to walk through the halls of the school to investigate the vampire issue.

    After a few hours of nosing around, the mission was a success!  The trio had deducted that Coach Feratu, the gym teacher, was the one at fault for the death of the lunch lady Summer had mentioned at breakfast.  Rick knew it was time to leave his teenage body and go back into his old self.  He, along with Morty and Summer, walked into the garage and over to the containment chamber that encased and preserved his body in a hyperbaric fluid.  Tiny Rick spitefully looked over at his old body, disgusted that he had to suffer inside it again, but he fiddled with the machinery and started to prepare for the transfer of his mind to his original body.  In the last moment, however, Summer looked at a text she had received.

"Oh my God, Toby Matthews asked if we can have a party!"

"Alright, way to go Summer!" Tiny Rick cheered.

"Aw, he asked if Tiny Rick will be there," Summer frowned dejectedly.

“You know what, Summer?  Tell him Tiny Rick  _ will _ be here!  And tell him to bring the good stuff!  What’s one more night anyway, right?!  Tiny Rick!!”

Yet again, the older Rick felt his grasp on the controls of his actions slightly slip even further away.  He definitely didn’t want to stay in this body, but  _ something _ forced him to choose to avoid transferring his conscience back to his old self.

Tiny Rick removed the wires from his temples and shouted, “Wooh!  Tiny Rick!”

Rick woke up and observed his surroundings.  He recognized this place as his childhood home, but instead of the constant activity, it was empty.  Around the corner was a moving figure, and it approached Rick.

“Oh, it’s you.  It isn’t-fucking-Jekyll and Hyde, is it?  What the hell is your problem, anyway?!”  Rick jabbed, rolling his eyes.

“Psh, my problem?  Look at yourself, you disgusting geezer!  Your time is up, and I’m fucking tired of watching you walk around and act like you’re a god!  Now, since I’m not stupid and reckless like you, I snatched control of this clone so you can never escape!  Nobody even cares about you, anyway, so it’s like killing t-two birds with one stone!” Tiny Rick yelled, annoyed with the idiot in front of him.

“People might not care, but they’ll notice!  I know Summer or Morty will notice something’s up!  I-I’m positive!  You’re terrible at acting, and they’re brain dead if they don’t see something’s wrong!”

“There’s an issue with that assumption.  You see, they actually like me more than they like you, so they’ll want you to stay in this clone so they can still take advantage of the benefits!  They like me more because I’m  _ solving _ their problems and making them happy!  Summer is finally being noticed and is becoming more popular, and Morty’s finally been noticed by Jessica!  I bet they don’t ever want to see you again, because they sure wouldn’t like having everything they’ve gained ripped away from them again.”

At that moment, Rick averted his glare and instead stared at the floor.  Tiny Rick took that as a sign of submission.

“Hah!  Pathetic!  You practically handed over control on a silver platter!  Get lost, old man.”

Suddenly, everything faded to black.

*

Rick slowly opened his eyes and was struck with a throbbing pain in his skull.  He took in his surroundings; as far as he knew, he was trapped in his own headspace.  The room consisted of his workbench, his cot, and the living room sofa.  In front of the sofa was a television.  Currently, Rick was looking through the eyes of his clone.

He was holding a guitar and walking over to a wooden stool.  Rick had no plan, so he decided to try an absurd idea.  He overrode Tiny Rick’s control for a minute or so while throwing together words for a (hopefully) eye-opening song.

“Alright everybody, this next one’s coming straight from the heart.  Makin’ the lyrics up right off the top of my head!” Rick said.

“ _ Let me out, what you see _

_ is not the same person as me. _

_ My life’s a lie. _

_ I’m not who you’re lookin’ at. _

_ Let me out, set me free! _

_ I’m really old, _

_ this isn’t me. _

_ My real body’s slowly dying in a vat. _

_ Is anybody listening?  Can anyone understand? _

_ Stop looking at me like that and actually help me! _

_ Help me! Help me!  I’m gonna die!” _

Looking around at his audience, he realized that only Summer was suspicious that something was up.  He was a little hurt that Morty hadn’t noticed and was only talking to Jessica, but Rick would never admit that.

    Tiny Rick regained control from Rick and shouted, “Tiny Rick!!”   


    The real Rick slumped in the sofa and felt exhausted.  He knew he had to try again to make his grandson aware of the situation, so he decided he would take control at the school dance.  For now, though, Rick had to come up with a song that was perfectly clear about his current status.

    “Hey Summer!  Nice top, by the way,” Tiny Rick complimented.

    “Oh, thanks!  Tiny Rick, when do you think you’ll be getting back into your old body?  Tonight?”

    “Nope!  Tonight’s the dance and I’m gonna help him out and be his tiny wingman!  Right Morty?”

    “Yeah, Tiny Rick!”  Morty cheered, laughing.

     Summer rolled her eyes.  “Okay, when do you think then?”

    “Hmm… I don’t know,” Rick scowled. “When I feel like it?”

    Morty jumped in with a jab at Summer: “Damn, girl!  Take a chill pill!”

    “This whole thing  _ was _ your idea in the first place and now you’re rushing it along.  I like high school and hanging out with my friends!  Tiny Rick!!”

    Summer glared at him and said, “Yeah, but what if the you that likes it isn’t you?!”

    “Do you know how stupid that sounds?”  Rick said, hardly containing his laughter.  “It’s me in a younger body!”

    “Look at his art, Morty!  Are you blind?  What kind of teenager draws art that says ‘Help me Morty and Summer!’?”

    From the secluded room, Rick was proud that Summer had caught on to the issue.  Of course, she was the more observant of the two, but now he had to sway Morty.

    Before Morty could reply, Tiny Rick laughed shortly.  “I’ve got an emo streak, and that’s the title of the art.  Seriously, you’re overthinking it.  I’m Tiny Rick!”

“Grandpa,” Summer started. “I think that when you put your mind into this body’s younger brain, it took control and shoved the bad thoughts into the back of your mind and trapped them, while also trapping the real Rick.  The fact that you’re old, we’re all going to die one day, the fact that the universe is infinite, nothing in it matters; those facts are who you are!   _ You’re _ trapped in there and can only come out in Tiny Rick’s teen angst!”

    Rick was impressed how accurate Summer was.  He knew every single thing she said was right; he was just a jumble of angst and thoughts.

    “ _ Well, Summer, I hear Toby Matthews isn’t into psycho chicks.  Can’t think of anyone that is!  _  See you motherfuckers at the dance!  Tiny Rick!!”

    “Morty, you have to help me!”  Summer pleaded.

    Morty rolled his eyes.  “Summer, he’s happy for once!  I’m happy, too!  I-I-is that why you’re doing this?!  You don’t want me and Rick to be happy?”

    “No.”

    “Well then, get your shit together!  Get it all together and put it in a backpack.  All your shit, so it’s together.  And if you gotta take it somewhere, take it somewhere, you know?  Take it to the shit store and sell it, or put it in a shit museum.  I don’t care what you do, Summer!  You just gotta get it together.”

    Morty walked out the door, but turned back.  “Get your shit together.”   


_ Finally! _  It was time for the dance, when he would try one last time to try to get Morty on Summer’s side.  He saw Morty and Jessica, and decided to begin his plan.

    “Hey Morty, Jessica!  What’s up?  Check out this new dance I made up.  It’s called “ooh let me out!”

 

“ _ Let me out!  Let me out! _

_ This is not a dance! _

_ I’m beggin’ for help, _

_ I’m screamin’ for help! _

_ Please come let me out! _

_ Let me out!  Let me out! _

_ This is not a dance! _

_ I’m beggin’ for help, _

_ I’m screamin’ for help! _

_ Please come let me out! _

_ I’m dying in a vat in the garaaage!” _

    Rick heard cheering from the bimbos around him.  However he heard Morty say, “Okay, that last part was really weird.  Maybe Summer’s onto something..”

    Jessica interrupted him, however, and asked him to dance.

    Rick lost control of his actions when Principal Vagina took him aside from the dance expelled him for murdering the gym teacher.  

    After the expulsion,  Tiny Rick hastily walked to Summer, fuming.  “ _ Summer!  I just got expelled!” _

__ “Oh!  I guess there’s no need to stay young then,” Summer reasoned, before having punch spilled on her.  “What the hell, you asshole?!”

    “Screw your top!  You ratted on me?!  I’m Tiny Rick!”

    “Fine!  Yes!  Because I love you and I’m trying to save your life!”

    “High school  _ is _ my life!”

    Before Rick could stop him, Tiny Rick yelled, “Summer Smith is a psycho nerd and she just got me kicked out of school!”

    Everyone collectively gasped at the same time, and Tiny Rick walked out the door.  It closed with a loud thud.

    Back at home, Tiny Rick walked into the garage with an axe.

    “ _ Say good night, old man- What the hell are you doing?!”  The teenager yelled, unable to move.  “Summer, you bitch!” _

    “Don’t talk to her that way!  She’s your granddaughter!  I-if you’re gonna be an asshole, y-you may as well be old again!”

    “ _ You _ think you’re tough, Morty?  What can you even do to me?  I’m Tiny Rick, the coolest kid in your school!  How are you gonna make me do what you say, huh?”

    Unexpectedly, Morty sprung forward and knocked Tiny Rick onto the floor.  After a small tussle, Morty held him down.  Summer took out her phone and earbuds, opened her music, and played a song she knew would fix the situation.

    “Listen to it, Tiny Rick!  Listen to Elliott Smith!”  Summer encouraged.

    “No!”

    “Feel what he’s feeling!”

    But, after struggling for long enough, the song got to him.

    “No!  God, what is life?  How could someone so talented die so young?  What’s being young?  I’m old!  I-I’m gonna die!  This body isn’t real..!”

 

    In this moment of weakness, the real Rick took control.  “Morty!  Summer!  Attach the blue and red-”

    “Oh God, what kind of world is this?" Tiny Rick interrupted.  "I didn’t ask to be born-"

    “I need you to put the blue one on my left temple and the red one on-”

    “Why doesn’t anyone like me-”

__ “Just put the stupid wires on my head!”  Rick yelled frantically.

__ With the wires on his temples, his mind was transferred over to his old body, and he acted like everything was "normal" again.

    Later that night, Rick pondered over what had happened.  He took a swig from his flask, and thought about his internal conflicts that had come out today.  Rick was pretty sure his grandkids had dismissed his angsty questions about his life, but he was disappointed to find out that was what he had been hiding in the back of his mind.  These beliefs made up his whole personality.

_ How sad, you old man.  When has this ever brought you down? _

    With a humorless laugh, Rick continued working on a new project and decided to try avoiding directly bring up his problems again.

END

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this oneshot! I like to imagine this was actually in a slightly different timeline where Rick was forced to watch everything going on outside while he internally attempted and succeeded to fight off Tiny Rick. Now, in this case, I feel like Tiny Rick was being an antagonistic little bitch because I imagine that's how Rick would be as a teenager; trying to gain control of his older self so he could be free to do as he liked in a much more convenient way. I think that Tiny Rick fighting against the Rick we know and love reminds me of how he doesn't want to face the reality of death in his future. Ugh, that sounds like a school essay. ;3;
> 
> Also, I tried to change the dialogue a bit, but if I had accidentally said the wrong thing to try to make it have original moments, the story wouldn't have been what I wanted. If you don't like how I did it, please don't complain, but I will try to be more creative next time. :P
> 
> Thanks for reading, and look out for other works by me sometime soon! (or never I don't know what I wanna do lol) ;]


End file.
